BC Superweek Riders to Watch

Chris Horner
Bend, Oregon
Astana

Horner finished 15th at the Tour de France last year - and more importantly in the team-first world of professional cycling, helped fellow Predictor-Lotto rider Cadel Evans finish second. He later switched teams, only to find out that his new powerhouse squad, Astana, was banned from the Tour de France because of problems with since-dismissed riders from last year's team. So instead of France, Horner is coming north, becoming arguably the greatest cyclist in BC Superweek's impressive history, joining a list that includes Lance Armstrong, who is a bigger name now, but wasn't as far along in his career when he won the Tour de Gastown in 1991.
Horner was dominant in the American road racing scene, winning the points standings in the 2002, 2003 and 2004 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar before turning his attention overseas, where he's won a stage at the Tour de Suisse and came close to another big stage win at the Tour de France in 2005.

Svein Tuft
Langley, B.C.
Symmetric Pro Cycling

It should have been difficult to imagine topping Tuft's 2007 season, which included winning the US Open in front of 8 million viewers on NBC, and taking the International Cycling Union's America Tour title, both as an individual and as part of the Symmetrics squad that won the team award. But things continue to build for Tuft in 2008, with three gold medals at the Pan American Cycling Championships in Uruguay and spots on Team Canada for both the time trial and road race at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. In just the last month, he was the first Canadian in 13 years to beat a top international field at the prestigious six-stage Tour de Beauce, and posted dominating victories at both the Yaletown Grand Prix on Canada Day and the Canadian National Time Trial Championships in Quebec last weekend, where he not only beat the field by almost two minutes, but also bested by more than a minute last year's winning time by Victoria's Ryder Hesjedal, who is currently riding the Tour de France and will be Tuft's teammate in the Olympic Road Race.

Kirk O'Bee
North Vancouver, B.C.
Health Net Pro Cycling

Roman Kilun
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Health Net Pro Cycling

Kilun started off 2007 by passing the California BAR exam, and later was instrumental on his bike helping Health Net to several stage race wins, including the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic and the Tour of the Gila. Plans to continue developing in 2008 took a big leap with huge individual wins recently at the Criterium and Road Race at the Tour de Nez in Reno, Nevada, the biggest results of his career.

Christian Meier
Langley, B.C.
Symmetrics Pro Cycling

Mike Sayers
Sacramento, California
BMC Racing

Eric Wohlberg
Sunnyvale, California
Symmetrics Pro Cycling

Born in Ontario, Wohlberg is a three-time Olympian, an eight-time Canadian Time Trial National Champion, a gold medal winner at the 1998 Commonwealth and 1999 Pan Am Games, and Male Canadian Cyclist of the Year in both 1998 and 2003. He has raced for some of the best trade teams in North America over the last for twelve years and even at the age of 43 still competes with the best, winning the toughest stage at this year's Tour de Nez in Reno, Nevada, and finishing top-5 in both the time trial and road race at last weekend's Canadian Cycling Championships in Quebec.

Susy Pryde
Waipukurau, New Zealand
Jazz Apple Cycling Team

A cycling legend in New Zealand with more than 500 podiums over a 13-year professional racing career, the 34-year-old is focused more on developing the Jazz Apple team she now leads into a full-fledged professional cycling squad, including Beijing-bound fellow Kiwi Alison Shanks, who competed in BC Superweek last year. But Pride, a two-time Olympian and Commonwealth Game medalist, still competes, and was recently spent time in front of the field at the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix.

Ruth Corset
Queensland, Australia
Jazz Apple Cycling Team

The veteran of an otherwise young, developmental team, the 30-year-old Corset has podium finishes in UCI events at the Tour of Chongming Island and Tour of New Zealand, as well as a fourth place in the Australian road nationals.

Malindi Maclean
Brookby, New Zealand
Jazz Apple Cycling Team

A passionate sprinter, the 19-year-old Maclean is already New Zealand's National Criterium Champion and was a two-time Junior World Track Champion and Oceana Track Champion.